Plants of South Eastern New South Wales
Persoonia mollis
Common name
Soft Geebung
Family
Proteaceae
Where found
Forest, heath, and gullies. Coast, ranges and tablelands north from Bournda Nature Reserve south of Tathra.
subsp. budawangensis: Ranges mostly in Morton National Park, Budawang National Park, and Monga National Park.
subsp. caleyi: Coast, ranges, and tablelands, mainly north of the Kings Highway.
subsp. ledifolia: Coast, ranges, and tablelands, mainly between Wollongong, Jervis Bay, and east of Marulan. Occasionally elsewhere.
subsp. leptophylla: Coast, ranges, and tablelands, between Bundanoon and the Kings Highway.
subsp. livens: Ranges and tablelands, mostly between Bowral and the Kings Highway.
subsp. maxima: Sydney, west from Kuringai Chase National Park. Located over an approximate north-south range of 5.75 km and east-west distance of 7.5 km.
subsp. mollis: Ranges and tablelands, north from the Wollongong district.
subsp. nectens: Coast and ranges north from west of Kiama.
subsp. revoluta: Ranges and tablelands between Kanangra Boyd National Park and Kangaroo Valley. Rarely coastal
Notes
Shrub to 6 m tall, erect to prostrate. Fruit fleshy. Bark smooth. Young branchlets moderately to densely hairy with greyish to rusty hairs. Leaves alternating up the stems, opposite each other, or whorled, 1.5–12 cm long, 0.8–17 mm wide, flat or convex in cross section, margins curved to rolled down, upper surface a very different colour from the lower surface, surfaces sometimes glaucous, sparsely to moderately hairy when young, becoming hairless to sparsely hairy when mature, and smooth to moderately rough. Flowers with 4 yellow 'petals' each 7.5–11.5 mm long, more or less fused at the base, moderately to densely hairy. Flowers erect, mostly subtended by leaves, in 1–30-flowered clusters. Fruit purplish-brown when ripe, resembling a small plum.
Protected NSW (all subspecies).
subsp. budawangensis: Plants erect. Leaves 2–4 cm long, 2 to less than 6 mm wide, margins curved or rolled down, tips more or less blunt. 'Petals' 7.5–10.5 mm long; the longest hairs on buds and young leaves 0.2–0.6 mm long.
subsp. caleyi: Plants erect. Leaves 3–6 cm long, 2 to less than 6 mm wide, margins curved or rolled down, tips pointed.
Hybridises occasionally with Persoonia linearis when they grow together.
subsp. ledifolia: Plants erect. Leaves 2–4 cm long, 2 to less than 6 mm wide, margins curved or rolled down, tips more or less blunt. 'Petals' 9–11.5 mm long; longest hairs on buds and young leaves 0.4–1 mm long.
Hybridises occasionally with Persoonia levis and with Persoonia linearis.
subsp. leptophylla: Plants erect or prostrate. Leaves 1.5–6 cm long, 0.8–2 mm wide, bright green, undersurface sparsely to moderately covered hairy with appressed hairs, margins tightly rolled, tips squared off to blunt or bluntly pointed.
Hybridises occasionally with Persoonia linearis when they grow together.
subsp. livens: Plants erect or prostrate. Leaves 1.5–6 cm long, 0.8–2 mm wide, green to grey-green, undersurface densely covered hairy with appressed hairs, margins tightly rolled, tips squared off to blunt or bluntly pointed.
Hybridises occasionally with Persoonia linearis and with Persoonia microphylla.
subsp. maxima: Plants erect to 6 m high. Leaves 4–12 cm long, 6–17 mm wide, margins curved down. flower buds, young branchlets, and young leaves moderately to densely hairy, with spreading hairs 2–3 mm long, copper coloured when fresh or dried.
Endangered Australia. Endangered NSW.
NSW Threatened Species profile: http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedSpeciesApp/profile.aspx?id=10597 (accessed 7 January, 2021)
subsp. mollis: Plants erect. Leaves 4–12 cm long, 6–17 mm wide, margins curved down. flower buds, young branchlets, and young leaves moderately to densely hairy, with spreading hairs about 1 mm long, silky-white when fresh, copper coloured when dried.
Hybridises occasionally with Persoonia linearis when they grow together.
subsp. nectens: Plants erect. Leaves 4–12 cm long, 6–17 mm wide, margins curved down. Flower buds, and to a lesser extent young branchlets and young leaves, moderately hairy, with spreading silky white hairs about 0.5 mm long.
subsp. revoluta: Plants prostrate to sprawling. Leaves 1.5–6 cm long, larger leaves usually more than 6 mm wide, margins curved to rolled down, tips usually blunt.
Vulnerable NSW.
NSW Threatened Species profile: https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/threatenedspeciesapp/profile.aspx?id=20345 (accessed 7 January, 2021)
PlantNET description of species and key to subspecies: http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Persoonia~mollis (accessed 7 January, 2021)
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